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Stanley/Irwin blades

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    Posted: 27 Oct 2013 at 5:55am
When I was in California, 2 years ago, I bought a couple of packs of 100 Heavy Duty Stanley Knife blades.  At $12 per pack, they were certainly cheaper than buying them here!  I also bought a small pack of Irwin Bi-Metal blades, to try.
 
The Irwin blades were far superior to the Stanley Knife blades - sharper, stronger and stayed sharp for much longer.
 
When I used up the half dozen Irwin blades, I bought a pack of 70 Irwin Bi-metal blades, that included an Irwin knife, off ebay.  All of the blades had a burr on the cutting edge and it was impossible to carve with them.  I contacted the seller, who sent me a pre-paid postage bag to return the blades and he sent me another pack of blades.  Same problem!
 
I contacted Irwin Australia, suggesting that the ebay seller may be selling 'seconds'.  They took pity on me and sent me a pack of 30 blades.  Same problem! The knife edge was burred and they wouldn't carve through timber.  I let Irwin know that these blades had the same problem, but they didn't reply.
 
I was in Hawaii, last week, found a hardware store and bought a pack of 50 Irwin Bi-metal blades.  They are brilliant, just like the ones I bought in California.
 
The photos show the difference in the blades. The Australian blade is on the left and the US blade on the right.
 
   
 
The Australian blades have a much bigger edge on them, resulting in a finer cutting angle, which is probably why they are burred.  Still, they should be honed properly, at the factory, and not have that burring on them.
 
So, beware.  The Aussie Irwin blades are useless for carving.  If you are in the US, buy some Irwin Bi-metal blades - they're great carving blades.
 
Cheers
 
Travers
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GBG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2013 at 8:11am
Thanks for that Travers. It's annoying having to put up with that rubbish.

We are having a hassle with a Stanley Thermous Flask. I think we are up to number 6 at the moment. Use it twice and it fails to keep heat on the third try. Send it back, receive another one, the same.

Emails to head office in US, no results. I believe Australia is a dumping ground some times for bad batches.

Gordon
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pearcey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2013 at 8:33am
Big difference Travers, very ordinary , although you could try a diamond file to bring them back seeing you have 70 of the crappy ones, cheers pearcey
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rally44 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2013 at 9:57am
Travers, Are the aussie blades made here OR china? I take it the good blades are USA made? I`ve had Irwin tools over the years and admired the quality, not any more with the Chinese made Irwin stuff we have to choose from!! Cheers Richard.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Strangalures Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2013 at 10:51am
Thanks for the Tip Travers
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Darby Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2013 at 11:31am
Have to agree Travers, the Irwin blades from aussie sources are pretty average, even if they are a dollar cheaper than Stanleys, and as for the Trojan...good for lino thats it.

Of late I have been using the Stanley 'Carbide' blades, available in the long style to suit the old school 199 knives I use, but seem to hold an edge a bit longer especially on tougher timbers than Cedar or Beech. They are a little more expensive..only a dollar or so a packet, but even if you don't give them a touch up with a stone when they loose the top edge, they last longer than the std blade.

Brad


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Powelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2013 at 12:51pm
The Irwin blades that I purchased in the US are made in Mexico.  Not sure where the Aussie Irwin blades are made.
 
It's interesting that the  Bi-metal blades, shown on the Aussie Irwin website, are not like the ones sent to me.  Instead they look the same as the US blades. Hopefully, they have ditched the crappy ones and are now importing the better blades.
 
 
I haven't tried the Stanley carbide blades, probably because I've got 3 lifetimes supply of Stanley and Irwin blades to use.
 
Cheers
 
Travers
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Darby Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2013 at 1:15pm
Travers, interesting to note the link shows a blade with squared off points, different to the blades in your pics......I like a pointy end myself, for doing weird stuff on details.

Brad
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Padgey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2013 at 6:11pm
Travers, tried all of them, the USA Irwin I have not, the blades I got on to and use now  are made in the USA and are called V- rex  by Tajima and I`d say that they are 10 times better than the rest that I`ve carved with, I got some from Masters, cheapo ones, 150 blades for $10.00 they are good and better than Stanley/Irwin I think but a bit to flexable, I don't know how much the V-rex cost, my Brother gets them though his work, cheers Bryan.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ArdentAngler Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2013 at 7:28pm

I asked many wood carvers who use utility blades to carve what the best blade was and all of them said Irwin Blue. So far I have tried Stanley and Bostitch, there is a big difference between quality. Stanley blades are the middle of the road brand, where for a couple cents more you can buy a better blade. As for the Irwin Blues I'm waiting till my Bostitch wear out before I try them. So far stropping every fifteen minutes keeps them sharp.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hazmail Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2013 at 10:35pm
I had to laugh---Your trip to California reminded me of mine ( Clinton, Missouri---and east)- I walked into a 'Walmart' and had a look around, walked back out and grabbed a trolley, filled it with Rapalas @$6, Mincota prop$16, I forget the rest!!!
I think this is called "Dumping" Travers--don't you hate that, seems it goes' all the way to fishing lures AND cars .
Maybe they think this place is a 'Dump', OR we will buy anything with the right logo on it. OR maybe they are repacking 'used' ones in the U.S and sending them out here  LOL.
Thanks for the tip, I have a few 'Irwin' tools in the shed and they are all O.K------no blades though------
I use garnet paper, it's always sharp Wink.
Pete
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Padgey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2013 at 4:53am
So  you are re sharpen throw away blades, you`re kidding right,
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Big-Pete Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2013 at 8:31am
I resharpen my blades as well they come up even sharper than new. It is quick and easy to do and in my case quicker than trying to find the packet to get another blade out.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Padgey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2013 at 11:41am
So as in Travers blades $12.00 for 100, that is 0.12 cents a blade, I don't know how many lures Travers gets from one blade? I get about 50/60 lures from one blade and that equals about 0.0021818182 cents per lure, even if you paid $50.00 for 100 that's 5 cents per blade, that's 0.0090909091 cents per lure, next thing your going to be saying that you  re-glue sand onto sand paper?????????????????????????   Whether it take one minute or 5 to sharpen a blade, its not a economically feasible  option. But whatever turns your wheel.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote GBG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2013 at 12:45pm
Sharpening is worth a try fellas. I hone a lot of blades of various types, why because I can.

But to tell you a story from the dark aged. I remember a mates father used the old style razor for shaving.

The one where you would put one of those Blue Gillette, double edged blades in the holder.

We caught him honing it on a morrow one day and he informed us that it would last 12 months, shouted himself a new one each Christmas.

Gordon
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ArdentAngler Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Oct 2013 at 12:58pm
Don't knock it till you try it! Like big Pete said you get a wicked edge by stropping a new blade. As for a 100 pack they run $28.03 before taxes, plus the stores that sell them are a 20 minute drive from me...a quick strop allows them to retain a sharp edge and let me get back to carving.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote puglee62 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Nov 2013 at 12:55pm
Originally posted by GBG GBG wrote:

Sharpening is worth a try fellas. I hone a lot of blades of various types, why because I can.

But to tell you a story from the dark aged. I remember a mates father used the old style razor for shaving.

The one where you would put one of those Blue Gillette, double edged blades in the holder.

We caught him honing it on a morrow one day and he informed us that it would last 12 months, shouted himself a new one each Christmas.

Gordon
Gordon my father in law used to sharpen his razor blades by rubbing them around the inside of a glass
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